1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter system and an image pick-up system for applying, for example, a digital camera to a microscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent widespread use of digital cameras is remarkable, and the digital camera is by no means inferior to conventional silver cameras in terms of functions, price, and the like. Hitherto, a magnified image has been picked up by attaching such a digital camera to a microscope, in which case the digital camera is attached to a C-mount section provided at a position different from that of an ocular section of the microscope.
The microscope having the C-mount section, however, is very special and expensive. Hence, in spite of the recent situation in which digital cameras have come into wide use, it is extremely difficult to obtain a magnified image through the microscope as a digital image.
An object of the present invention is to provide an adapter system and an image pick-up system capable of easily picking up a magnified image through a microscope by using an image pick-up apparatus such as a digital camera or the like.
To settle the aforesaid problems, a main aspect of the present invention is an adapter system, comprising: (a) a first adapter including: a main body, a first end of which is inserted into an ocular inserting portion of a microscope and held engagingly in a predetermined position and to the second end of which an image pickup apparatus is allowed to be attached, having a first optical path therein; and a first lens system which is disposed in the first optical path inside the main body and which allows an image through the ocular inserting portion to be formed at a specified position of the image pick-up apparatus attached to the main body while the main body is inserted into the ocular inserting portion of the microscope and held engagingly in the predetermined position; and (b) a second adapter, a first end of which is engaged with a C-mount section of the microscope and into the second end of which the first end of the first adapter is inserted and held engagingly in a predetermined position, having therein a second optical path with a second optical path length which allows an image to be formed through the C-mount section of the microscope at the specified position of the image pick-up apparatus attached to the first adapter while the first end of the first adapter is inserted into the second end and locked in the predetermined position.
According to the present invention, the image pick-up apparatus such as the digital camera or the like can be attached not only to the C-mount section of the microscope, but also to the ocular section side of the microscope, whereby the magnified image through the microscope can be easily picked up by using the image pick-up apparatus such as the digital camera or the like. Furthermore, a state in which the image pick-up apparatus such as the digital camera or the like is attached to the C-mount section of the microscope and a state in which an ocular is attached to the ocular section of the microscope are optically conditioned identically, and thus an image seen under the microscope through the ocular and an image picked up by the image pick-up apparatus accord optically. Accordingly, it becomes possible to pick up an image by the use of the image pick-up apparatus while looking at the image under the microscope through the ocular.
The present invention further comprising: (a) a first adaptor including: a first end of which is inserted into a first ocular inserting portion of a first inside diameter of a microscope and held engagingly in a predetermined position, and to a second end of which an image pick-up apparatus is allowed to be attached, having an optical path therein; and a lens system which is disposed in the optical path inside the main body and which allows an image through the first ocular inserting portion to be formed at a specified position of the image pick-up apparatus attached to the main body, while the main body is inserted to the first ocular inserting portion of the microscope, and is held engagingly in a predetermined position; (b) a second adaptor, the first end of the main body is inserted to and held engagingly in a predetermined position and is further inserted to the second ocular inserting portion of a microscope having the second inside diameter bigger than the first thereof, and is held engagingly in a predetermined position, (c) a rotation stopping portion provided on a contact portion of the first adaptor and the second adaptor which prevents rotation of the main body, while first end of the main body is inserted to the second adaptor, and the second adaptor is inserted to a second ocular inserting portion.
According to this configuration, the image pick-up apparatus such as the digital camera or the like can be attached to the ocular section side of the microscope, whereby magnified image through the microscope can be easily picked up by using the image pick-up apparatus. In addition, a contact portion wherein a main body of the adaptor contacts with an ocular inserting portion of the microscope, is comprised of the rotation stopping portion to prevent rotation of the main body inserted to an ocular inserting portion of the microscope therefore rotation of an image pick-up apparatus attached to a first end of the main body caused by gravity can be prevented.
Furthermore, the system further comprising; a fourth adapter, having a first end and a second end, the first end being inserted to the second end of the main body, and a third lens system being disposed in a third optical path inside the fourth adapter; wherein the main body allows the fourth adapter to be inserted to the second end thereof; and, wherein the fourth adapter is held engagingly in a predetermined position when the first end thereof is inserted to the second end of the main body, a CCD camera is allowed to be attached to the second end thereof, and the third lens system allows an image to be formed at a specified position of the CCD camera through the ocular inserting portion and the first adapter of the microscope, when the first end of the fourth adapter is inserted to the second end of the main body and held engagingly in the predetermined position, in the same time, the first end of the main body is inserted to the ocular inserting portion of the microscope and held engagingly in the predetermined position.
According to the present invention, a CCD camera can easily be attached, for example, to an ocular inserting portion of a microscope without C-mount section, and it becomes possible to pick up an image by using the CCD camera.
These objects and still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.